Swedish king pleads for peace after scandal book

[November 05, 2010]  STOCKHOLM (AP) -- Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf has appealed for peace and quiet after a new book shattered a long-held tradition among Swedish media not to print intimate details about his private life.

Speaking to throngs of reporters at his annual elk hunt Thursday, the figurehead monarch said he had not read the book, which includes claims of visits to seedy nightclubs and an extramarital affair in the 1990s.

Without addressing those claims directly, the 64-year-old king said he understood from media headlines that the book dealt with events that happened "far back in time" and that his family had "turned the page."

He appealed to reporters to leave the royal family in peace "because we have certain duties to fulfill."

[Associated Press]

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